Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news From: "Nick Ferguson" Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.freetalk.english Subject: Re: Nintendo DS Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 23:55:23 -0700 Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE) Lines: 39 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: S010600095b9e072d.vc.shawcable.net X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 Hey, > Although I've heard > that the DS is backwards compatible to GBA titles, but not the original > GB? Not sure if that's true, but it would suck if it were. If so I'll > have to get an SP as well. You are correct, it isn't compatible with the original GB / GBC. > The stylus part does seem gimmicky in parts, but if it's extremely > accurate and has a high resolution sensor (pixel exact) then it would be > great. The problem I see is that when using the stylus you essentially > can't use your right hand for any of the buttons. Switching back and > forth would be difficult. And what if you're left-handed? A solution is to have "mirror" controls for left and right-handed players, where appropriate. That means the D-Pad functionality is mirrored by the ABXY buttons on the right hand side of the screen. Ditto the L and R buttons. It "only" gives you 5 buttons to work with, but that's what the stylus is for, right? In general, the ideal is to make a game playable using only the stylus, when appropriate. FYI, the stylus has *excellent* pixel sensitivity, almost exactly per pixel. > The cool use I can see is having neat game-specific GUIs in the bottom > screen. Kinda like the computer panels on Star Trek. That way you can > use your thumb to hit buttons without having to let go of the unit too much. Yes, for games that will require you to hold the system in a more traditional fashion (like, say, a racing title) that form of touch screen interation makes far more sense. Don't think I broke any NDA's there... *glances over shoulder nervously* Nick